Delete Post - AI can’t make up it’s mind

I just realized that ND is penalized for not being in a conference in the 24 team playoff. They do not qualify for a bye even if ranked #1.

Notre Dame will not receive special privileges or automatic bids under the 24-team College Football Playoff structure. In fact, the rules inherently penalize Notre Dame’s status as an independent program in a few key ways:
• No Automatic Entry: Unlike the champions of the Power 4 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC), Notre Dame does not have a direct path to an automatic bid. They must qualify strictly as an at-large team based on where they land in the committee's final rankings.
• Ineligible for a First-Round Bye: The top eight seeds in the 24-team format receive a first-round bye. However, the format mandates that byes are strictly reserved for conference champions. Because Notre Dame does not play in a conference championship game, the highest seed they can ever achieve is No. 9, completely locking them out of a first-round bye regardless of how dominant their regular season record is